Susan May Warren: What happens when a girl, down on her luck, decides to go to Russia for a year in hopes of changing her life? Josey Berglund is just a regular girl, but when her sister marries her ex-boyfriend, and the boy-next-door/aka possible love of her life brings home his buff fiancé, Josey plunges into a project she hopes is at once meaningful and life-changing. What she discovers is that God is about changing her heart, not necessarily her circumstances, yet He just might have a few surprises in store for a girl who learns to trust Him. Based on my own stories as a missionary in Russia, EVERYTHING'S COMING UP JOSEY is an authentic and hilarious look at the “real” life of a girl just trying to do things God’s way.

FR: What role does faith have in the book? What inspired you to write it?

SMW: For years, friends and supports encouraged me to “write my own story” --- I served as a missionary in Russia for 10 years. However, every time I tried to put my adventures into a nonfiction format, it felt flat and uninspiring. The Chick Lit format seemed the perfect avenue to share all my crazy adventures, and the “fiction” aspect allowed me to take a step back and find the humor and authenticity the story required. I suppose in many ways, Josey was also good therapy! As far as the faith element --- Josey is on a journey of what her faith means in her life, so I guess it’s integral to the story.

FR: What do you feel your calling is as a writer?

SMW: I believe I am called to be authentic and honest in my storytelling. As a Christian woman, I am not interested in cardboard characters with unrealistic struggles who receive pat answers. Life can be overwhelming and, at times, messy and confusing. Relevant faith-filled fiction deals with that, and yet, offers hope. I don’t presume to know all the answers. I just try and write stories about people learning to walk in faith, every day trusting God just a little bit more. 

FR: Who are your favorite authors and mentors? How have they influenced your work?

SMW: Francine Rivers and Dee Henderson are my favorite authors. They write books that seep into my soul and stay with me, characters who make me want to examine my own walk with Christ. This is my desire as a writer --- to create stories that cause people to draw nearer to God. Francine has an easygoing writing style and her characters are so rich I feel like I could point them out on the street. When I was learning to write, I spent time analyzing her writing and learning how she drew such rich characters. Dee’s characters are compelling as well, and she also weaves in a suspense that keeps me up all night. I love Dee’s plots and the way she formats stories --- I also studied her books until they were dog-earred. My hope is to write as well as these two ladies someday. Both of these authors also were patient enough to offer me advice and answer my newbie-writer questions. I try to follow their example in my life by doing the same with other starting authors.

FR: Do you have any favorite stories of encounters with readers?

SMW: My readers are so nice to me! I receive the most encouraging fan mail, and occasionally at conferences I’ll meet a reader who tells me how much they enjoy my books. I’m so humbled by this that it’s hard for me to know how to respond. Once, a reader left me speechless…she made an appointment with me at a conference (I do a lot of teaching) and then gave me a gift --- a beautiful framed photograph she’d taken in Italy. She’s a gifted photographer and the photo is of a husband helping a new bride with her shoe. It’s just…well, I have it on my bureau and I am still so deeply touched. It reminds me to take seriously the fact that people spend their hard-won free time reading my books, and that it’s my privilege to write stories that will hopefully touch their lives. 

FR: Tell us about your personal faith journey.

SMW: I grew up in a Christian home, and knew Christ at a young age. Even as a teenager, I knew God wanted me to be a missionary, but I rebelled from this idea, not wanting to be poor or even live overseas. I even walked away from God for a few years, deciding that I probably could do better on my own. Uh, no. Without that daily relationship with God, my life felt empty and as if I were running, but I didn’t know where. I recommitted my life to the Lord in my junior year of college, and also surrendered to His calling on my life to be a missionary, wherever He took me. I served Him with my husband and children in Siberia for 10 years, and now I believe He has me in a different kind of “missionary” work. 

FR: Who are your spiritual mentors?

SMW: I devoured anything by Elizabeth Elliot in my early days, and then as I got older, I read all the Beth Moore Bible Studies and dove into the writings and sermons of John Piper. I’ve also been blessed with Titus women in my life. Wherever I am, I’ve had women who have come alongside me with encouragement and guidance. And, of course, my mother had a great influence on me.

FR: What is your current church community involvement?

SMW: Our family belongs to a small church in our community, approximately 90 members. Hence, we are very active. Our family runs the children’s church program, and I serve as the building chairperson of our new church building program. I’m also involved in VBS every summer.

FR: What are your Scripture reading habits? Prayer habits?

SMW: I spend every morning, before I do anything else, in bible study and prayer. I use various tools --- Beth Moore studies, Navpress studies. But, most recently, I've armed myself with my own set of study helps --- Bible knowledge commentaries, Strong’s Concordance, Vine’s Bible Dictionary, Bibles in different versions --- and began writing my own Bible studies to accompany the books I am currently writing. I love the dual journey of story and scriptural insight, and this study helps me intertwine the spiritual threads with my characters.

FR: If you had one message for Christians today, what would it be?

SMW: Christianity isn’t a set of rules or behaviors, or even a certain denomination of church you attend.  t’s a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and letting that relationship affect every area of your life. Fellowship is important, but most important is that daily time with the Lord, and believing that God is who He says He is. 

FR: Tell us about your family. Spouse? Kids?

SMW: I have four children (two of whom are home-schooled) and have been married for 17 years. My husband is a morph of every hero I’ve ever written.

FR: Do you and your family have any special traditions?

SMW: We love to camp, and have the privilege of living in the woods, so we go camping every summer, either on a canoe trip or to a local campground. Also, we have a “Labor Day” campfire where we head down to the beach (we live on Lake Superior), cook out, and say farewell to the summer. When we lived in Russia, we also did the camping thing. And, of course, because I lived overseas away from my family, we developed our own holiday traditions. One of our favorites is our Russian New Years Eve party --- we serve all Russian food (most of the time) and remember the many New Years Eves we spent with our Russian friends. We also have “Pizza and Movie” night every weekend…usually Sunday nights.

FR: What are some of your favorite hobbies and activities?

SMW: I love to read (of course!), and canoe, camp and fish; and in the winter, I snowmobile and downhill ski. My favorite thing to do is grab a cup of coffee with a friend and sit down for a chat. Don’t get to do that enough…

FR: What are your media habits? Television? Movies? Music? Etc?

SMW: Since I spend so much time interacting with written words, television watching has taken on a new dimension of relaxation since I became a full-time writer. I’m deliberate about it, though. I have a TiVo, which means I only watch what I want to watch, and when. And thus, I also get to follow series. I am a fanatic about "Gilmore Girls" and "Smallville," but I also love "Lost," "Crossing Jordan," "House," "NCIS" and my new fav --- "Pepper Dennis." 

FR: What excites you about life?

SMW: I love finding new stories, meeting new people, and seeing God at work in my life and the lives of my kids. I love knowing that I’m on a journey, and that this step will lead me to the next, and that nothing is ever wasted with God. I love the fact that although I’m on earth for a short time, my impact isn’t up to me, but up to God, and that’s freeing.